Australia— The aussies are looking absolute giants in this form of the game. In face the aussies are currently looking giants in all forms be it Test, ODI or T20 cricket. This is largely due to the fact that they have specialized squads for the different forms of the game. Talking about the T20 format the re-emergence of perhaps the fastest bowler in the world currently, Shaun Tait is a huge bonus for the aussies as he comes with not just raw pace but off late; he seems to be finding the right spots as well. He will come in very handy and has been in tremendous form ever since his return to the Australian national side.

Another of their T20 expertise is the small and compact power house, David Warner—the man has the second fastest fifty in T20 history and is capable of blowing away any bowling attack in the world. He has done so in the past and as far as the aussies are concerned they will be hoping he continues to do it for them. There is no better player who can build an innings in T20 cricket better than David Hussey.

Second only to Victorian team mate Brad hodge in terms of runs he at number 4 will be vital if Australia have to reach the knockout stages of the tournament. Australia have a perfect number 5 in Cameron white, his explosive batting with an uncomplicated technique is of great bonus and is one of their more experienced players at this form of the game. In Watson, Australia have the perfect all rounder they could ask for who could provide them with an explosive start. Along with them the aussies have Mitchell Johnson, their skipper- Michael Clarke, Hauritz and wicket-keeper Brad Haddin.

Australia also have the pacey left arm seamer dirk nannes who is one of the skiddiest customers the game has ever seen. And IF, only IF, ace pace man Brett Lee is fit and raring to go—the aussies will have absolutely nothing to worry about as his experience and his class will be a big boost under a big stage like the world twenty 20. Australia have a very well knit unit under a new captain. They will be pressing hard to get their hands on the title they never have.

South Africa— The South African’s rest assured will play very good cricket and are probable to do well and reach the knock out stage. But, the problem with South Africa is and has always been once they get to that stage, they choke. They will be itching to prove all of that wrong and change how they are looked at in the cricketing world. They have a very good combination of both talent and experience.

In Graeme smith they have a crafty batsman who could pull out the long handle if need be. They have the young and electric bosman right at the top who could help the south Africans to a flyer. They have the ever dependable Kallis if they choose to pick him. The mercurial gibbs who due to his unpredictability could prove to be exactly what the Africans need on a big match stage. They have the best ODI bowler in the world in Steyn. But for me if South Africa have to get far into the tournament and far enough to win the tournament they need a particular man to shine and that man is ‘Abraham De Villiers’.

De Villiers has been in tremendous form over the last couple of years and he is now in the phase of entering the peak of his life as far as his batting is concerned. South Africa really need him to be firing on all cylinders if they have to stand any chance of putting up an impressive performance at this year’s World T20. South Africa seem to have a good combination but it’s important that they keep their past behind them and hope that De Villiers plays at his best.

India— India have a very good side and with Virender Sehwag in great nick at the top; they seem unstoppable. They also have the T20 man Yuvraj Singh who is as dangerous as T20 is to test cricket. The Indian team have one of the best batting line ups in the competition with Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Raina and pathan forming their top 6. However, it is their bowling that is a cause of worry. Presumably it would be Zaheer khan, Ishant Sharma, harbhajan singh and perhaps Nehra.

The Indians have a very unsettled bowling line up with Zaheer being the only formidable option after having good success over the past couple of seasons. India have bowling and fielding concerns. However, they are still in good stead mainly due to their batting. If India needs to make it to the final four they will have to dig deep and do something about their lack luster bowling and fielding as the latter is what primarily matters in a T20 game.

Sri Lanka— They made the finals last time round but were beaten by a very determined Pakistan team. They have a very good side with a devastating opening combination capable of tearing any bowling attack. Dilshan and jayasuriya on their day could win Lanka the match single handedly; if either one of them have a good tournament, it can be said that Sri lanka would make the final cut. They have two of the most elegant players in the modern era to follow in skipper Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

Angelo Mathews a very promising all rounder and a future prospect for sure to look forward to. Their bowling is a good one too as they have the best spinners in the tournament—Muttiah Muralidaran and Mendis. Malinga, the slinger is capable of bowling 6 consecutive Yorkers and the opposition should be vary of that. Sri Lanka seem strong on the fielding department as well with Mathews and Dilshan right up front.

The others New Zealand, Pakistan (Although champions), West Indies and England do not seem to have the fire power and the lack of “consistent” game breakers seems to be their undoing. The above favourites are favourites only on paper and nothing can be portended as T20 is indeed a game of thrills and spills.

The first International T20 match featured the likes of Australia and New Zealand played at the scenic Eden Park stadium in Auckland. The game has made rapid strides since then with the inaugural T20 World Cup Men’s competition being held in South Africa during September 2007. The competition played over duration of two weeks show very entertaining cricket from all the teams. It was the first time that T20 had made it this big and all the teams were uncertain about their performance in the tournament. The first bowl out in the history of T20 cricket was played between India and Pakistan in Durban after the teams were tied in the mandatory 20 over’s period.

Bangladesh proved once again that they are no longer the minnows in World Cricket with their shock defeat of the West Indies; Zimbabwe had also contributed their bit to make the tournament exciting by defeating the Australians in Cape Town. The group stages itself had laid the foundation for the tournament ahead. A young Indian team led by their inspirational captain MS Dhoni, steam rolled over England, South Africa, and title favorites Australia to set up the summit clash against arch rivals Pakistan. The final was an exciting affair with Misbah Ul Haq almost ensuring victory for Pakistan with a big six in the last over of the tournament. However, his miscalculated shot helped India achieve a dramatic 5-run victory over Pakistan and be crowned the T20 champions of the World.

The highlight of the tournament was an over in which Yuvraj Singh of India hammered Englishman Stuart Broad for six sixes of consecutive balls in that over. The most number of runs in the tournament was scored by Gautam Gambhir of India, while Umer Gul of Pakistan snapped up the maximum number of wickets. The Highest strike rate of 183.68 was achieved by Yuvraj Singh and the highest score in a T20 match was 117 scored by Chris Gayle of West Indies against South Africa. Daniel Vettori of New Zealand had the best economy rate amongst the bowlers conceding only 5.28 runs per over in a competition that favored the batsman. The highest score in a T20 match of the tournament was achieved by Sri Lanka when they amassed 260 against the minnows Kenya.

The second edition of the T20 World Cup is currently underway in England with 12 teams making it to the Men’s competition. The tournament is scheduled to be conducted after every two years except for West Indies hosting the tournament in 2010. The matches are being played in locations such as Lord’s, Trent Bridge, The Oval, and Taunton. The group stages have recently finished with Ireland and Netherlands being the surprise package of the tournament. The Dutch had raised their hopes of qualification into the Super 8 round of the tournament with an emphatic victory over England in one of the group games. However, Pakistan steam rolled them and ended all their dreams in the competition.

Ireland has been constantly improving since they first entered the big stage, a memorable win against Pakistan in the Oneday International World Cup held in West Indies, they also went on to beat Bangladesh to qualify for the Super 8 round of the competition. The in form teams of this tournament South Africa and Sri Lanka are playing solid cricket to keep their hopes alive of a summit clash, but West Indies, Pakistan, and New Zealand along with the Defending champions India will not make things easy for them. The last half of the tournament promises to be as exciting as the first half, which will throw many surprises and entertain the audiences with display of exciting cricket.